Tipp with much to learn from after Cavan defeat

LADIES FOOTBALL: Lidl National League Division 2 Round 2

Tipperary 1-9

Cavan 1-15

Report: Michael Heverin at Clonmel Sportsfield

MATCH DIGEST

Player of the Match: Aishling Sheridan (Cavan)

SCORERS – Tipperary: Emma Morrissey 1-3 (0-1 free), Anna Carey (1 free), Anna Rose Kennedy 0-2 each; Clara English, Kirsty Crotty Ryan 0-1 each.

Cavan: Aishling Sheridan, Ella Sheridan (3 frees) 0-4 each; Clara Lynch 1-0, Deirbhile Lynch 0-2, Cara McCaffrey, Catherine Dolan, Micaela Fitzpatrick, Muireann Cusack, Keri McCormack 0-1 each

Tipperary’s bright start to the National Ladies Football League Division 2 campaign hit a bump in the road on Sunday when they were well beaten by a Cavan side that were well worth their six points victory.

Playing a second promoted side in the space of a week, Tipp discovered that the Ulster side were a much tougher prospect than Wexford had been in the opening round.

A goal from Emma Morrissey - her third in two games - was Tipp’s only score in the first twenty minutes as Cavan cut through them with alarming ease to hit five points, captain and full forward Aishling Sheridan proving to be the main threat.

Tipperary’s first point came in the 21st minute from Anna Carey, put through by Morrissey, and their second, and last of the half, from Kirsty Crotty Ryan five minutes later, to leave the visitors 0-7 to 1-2 ahead at the break.

Tipperary had begun to settle in the second quarter, but their momentum was shattered when Cavan won the second half throw-in and Clara Lynch burst clear to hit a superb goal within fifteen seconds.

Tipperary then upped their game again and had the margin back to a single point, 1-8 to 1-7, eleven minutes into the half, but Cavan dominated the final quarter. Tipp failed to score for twenty-five minutes until they scored two late points in injury time.

“Cavan were definitely the better team”, admitted Tipperary manager David Power.

“The first ten minutes were very poor and we looked nervous for whatever reason. The goal settled us down but then they got on top again. And their goal seconds into the second half was a crucial moment”.

And he has targeted one area where he wants to see improvement. “We have to be more physical, win the dirty ball, and then we won’t concede some of the soft scores that we did concede. We need to be pressing higher and that will come over the next few weeks. It’s very much a work in progress. But the big positive is that we kept playing and probably left a few more chances behind us”, Power added.

Cara McCaffrey from a free after four minutes and Deirbhile Lynch from play in the next move opened the scoring for Cavan who looked threatening in every play and spurned at least two good goal chances. Instead, it was Tipperary who found the net first and it was no surprise that it came from the side’s most influential player over the first two games, Aherlow’s Emma Morrissey.

Cavan hit back with three points in three minutes, two from Aishling Sheridan and an Ella Sheridan free after Tipp had failed to keep three players in the opposition half. Then two points in five minutes got the home support in good voice – Morrissey put Anna Carey clear and the Clonmel Commercials girl hit a lovely score, and then Moyle Rovers’ Kirsty Crotty Ryan added a second just before she was substituted with a leg injury.

Another Sheridan free and a lovely score from Catherine Dolan gave Cavan a two-points interval lead, 0-7 to 1-2. And that became five points fifteen seconds into the second half with Clara Lynch’s goal.

Tipp then outscored the Breffni girls by five points to one over the next ten minutes as they looked like they could turn the game around. Emma Morrissey hit an immediate response to the Cavan goal and team captain Anna Rose Kennedy followed up with another. A brilliant weaving run from Morrissey won a free that Anna Carey converted.

Tipp were now playing their best football of the game and Morrissey put Clara English through to score, with Morrissey then pointing a free after she had been fouled. The only Cavan score in that time was from Catherine Dolan, to leave Cavan one point ahead, 1-8 to 1-7, eleven minutes into the half.

But then with Tipp down to fourteen players following a yellow card for Heather Spillane, Cavan hit the next six points without reply as they took total control, from Aishling Sheridan, Micaela Fitzpatrick, Deirbhile Lynch, Muireann Cusack and two from Ella Sheridan, one a free, to lead 1-14 to 1-7 deep into injury time.

Nine minutes of injury time were played following second half injury delays, with Anna Rose Kennedy pointing Tipp’s first score in twenty five minutes, and Anna Carey pointing a free following a foul on Kennedy, either side of a Sheridan point for Cavan.

It doesn’t get any easier for Tipperary with a trip to Mayo this Sunday, with the Connacht side drawing away to Cavan in the first round and following up with a comprehensive win over Wexford.

TEAMS – Tipperary: Lauren Fitzpatrick (Ballymacarbry 6); Tara Hoare (Templemore 6), Maria Curley (Templemore 8), Nora Martin (Sliabh na mBan 7); Shona Lang (Brian Borus 6), Laura Morrissey (Brian Borus 7), Sarah English (Ardfinnan 7); Niamh Martin (Sliabh na mBan 7), Anna Rose Kennedy (Aherlow 8); Clara English (Ardfinnan 7), Emma Morrissey (Aherlow 8); Heather Spillane (Fethard 6); Ava Ryan (Moyne-Templetuohy 7), Anna Carey (Clonmel Commercials 8), Kirsty Crotty Ryan (Moyle Rovers 7).

Subs: Angela McGuigan (St Sylvester’s 7) for Crotty Ryan (20 inj), Ellen Moore (Moyne-Templetuohy 6) for Lang (HT), Katelyn Downey (Boherlahan-Dualla 7) for C English (46), Emma Cronin (Moyle Rovers 6) for Hoare (53), Aoibhe O’Shea (CJ Kickhams Mullinahone 6) for Spillane (58); Nicole Shelly (CJ Kickhams Mullinahone NR) for S English (60+3).

Cavan: Evelyn Baugh (7); Cara McCaffrey (7), Sinead Kelly (7), Emma McIntyre (6); Zara Fay (6), Christina Charters (7), Sinead Greene (7); Deirbhile Lynch (8), Ciara Boylan (7); Keri McCormack (7), Ella Sheridan (8), Catherine Dolan (8); Niamh Keenaghan (7), Aishling Sheridan (9), Clara Lynch (8).

Subs: Cara McDonnell (6) for McIntyre (36), Micaela Fitzpatrick (7) for Boylan (40), Muireann Cusack (7) for McCaffrey (44), Ellyanna Madden (6) for Keenaghan (58), Katie Mai Reilly (NR) for C Lynch (60+2).

Referee: Gerard Canny (Mayo).